Automatic control for toilets



June23, 1925.

H. G. ANDERSON AUTOMATIC CONTROL FOR TOILETS I Filed May 22. 1924 s Sheets-Sheet 1' June 23, 1925. 1,543,311

, H. G. ANDERSON AUTOMATIC CONTROL FOR TOILETS Filed May 22, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 23, 1925.

H. G. ANDERSON AUTOMATIQ CONTROL FOR TOILETS Fild May 22.' 1924 s Sheets-She et s Patented June 23, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY GUY ANDERSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

AUTOMATIC CONTROL FOR llOllILEJTS.

Application filed May 22, 1924. Serial No. 715,100.

I railway cars. The chief object is to provide such a device that will permit flushing of the toilet only when the train is in motion thereby preventing the discharge of the 0011- tents of the toilet at stations, the control mechanism being actuated by and dependent solely upon the movement of the train.

With the foregoing and other objects in view the invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter fully described, pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the ac companying drawings which form apart of this application and in which I Fig. 1, is a sectional view of a train toilet illustrating the application of the automatic control therefor.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a train toilet illustrating the application of .a modified form of the control.

Fig. 3 is a view, enlarged, of the mechanism and housing therefor, one side of the housing being removed to afford a better illustration. v

Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 4-4c of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5'is a detail of the. rack and pinion mechanism employed.

Fig. 6 is a view of Fig. 3 with the movable parts in an altered position.

Fig. 7 is avi'ew similar to Fig. 6 but with the movable parts in a third position.

Fig. 8 is a top plan view of Fig. 7 with the cover plate removed and one rack shown in section.

Fig. 9 is a'view of the yoke mechanism for securing the device to the toilet.

Like reference characters denote corresponding parts throughout the several views.

The reference numeral 1 denotes the toilet bowl provided with the trip pans 2 and 8,

trip rod 1 and hand lever 5, the rod l being connected by the links-6, 7 to the rod 8 of trip pan 2 in the usual manner. An oblong ,metal housing 9 may be made integral with the bowl 1. as shown in Fig. 2 or it may be attached to the bowl, as shown in Fig. 1, I

wherein it is secured by the U-bolt 10 to a support plate 11 which plate is secured by the thumb screws 12 to the bowl, a band 10 encircling the bowl connects the plate 11 thereto, the ends of said band being connected by a bolt and nut.

The housing 9 comprlses the top and bottom plates'13, 14, the face plate 15 and the side plates 15 15 15. An inner partition 16 is provided parallel to and spaced away from the face plate whereby the housing is divided into a large and a small compartment, said partition being formed adjacent the top plate 3 with the marginal perforation 17 and with a central perforation 18.

Within the large compartment, upon one side of the partition 16, and secured .to a side wall of the housing by the screws19 is the angular support 20 upon the pointed free end of which the rocking or tilting table 21 is supported, said table being formed with a niche to receive the free end of said support, said table being of a transverse diameter somewhat less than the width of the large compartment and of a length someface of said table being beveled toward its center so that a ball 22 will center itself upon the-table when the same is level as shown in Figs. 3 and 4:. I

The table 21 carries a depending weight 23 secured thereto by the V-shaped strap 24 whereby said table is balanced upon its pivotal support. Any movement of the train or coach in which the mechanism is arranged will cause the table 21 to oscillate upon its pivotal support and so cause the ball to move back and forth upon the table, the housing sides and partition 16 preventing the ball from rolling off the table. VVhen-the coach is at rest the table will sit level upon its support and the ball will center itself upon the table.

Arranged upon a threaded portion of the link 6 is a threaded sleeve 25 and nuts 26,

27, one upon each side of said sleeve, said sleeve being provided with a sleeve and rod extension 28, 29 connected by a swivel 30 to the bifurcated link 31 connected by pin 32 to the head 33 secured by screw 34 to the upper trip lever 35 that extends into the smaller compartment of the housing through a perforation 36 in the top plate 13, said lever being formed adjacent its lower end with a recess 37 and terminating in a toe 38, said lever being formed, further, with a central longitudinally extending round cavity 39 beginning at the lower end of the lever and running almost to the head 33; said lever being provided also with a rack 40 al'ongone lateral face, at its lower end, said racl; extending beyond the lower end of the lever and the teeth thereof being faced in the direction of. the recess 37, said lever being adapted to slide back and forth over one edge of a metal cleat 41 secured to the partition 16, the face of said cleat next the partition being recessed to afford clearance for a pinion 42, the axis 43 of which is secured in said cleat and in said partition; said v cleat being spaced away from the side wall 15 to afford clearance for the rack 40 the teeth of which are in mesh with the said pinion 42'.

A short lower trip lever 44 having a head 45 at one end is provided also with arod 46 adapted for insertion in the cavity 39 of. the upper trip lever 35, said rod 46 having fast thereupon a bifurcated block 47, the pronged end of said block mounting a pin 48 whereupon a dog 49 is pivoted, said dog being yieldingly retained in a predetermined position, relative to said block 47, by means of a coilspring 50' connected thereto, the. opposite end of said spring being secured in a cavity formed in the block 47. The dog 49 comprises a. head 51 having beveled edges 52 and 53 adapted for engagement with the correspondingly beveledl portions of the recessed face of the lever 35,. said head 51 being; formed along one lateral face with an offset portion or shoulder 54-.

A block 55 occupies one end of the small compartment of the housing, extending from top to bottom of the same, and is connected to the sides 15, 15 and to the partition 16, said block being formed, further, with a guide lip 56 between which the cleat 41 and a sliding block 57 are disposed, the latter. is offset at 58 to form the reduced portion 59 and. that is formed with the longitudinal recesses 60 and 61, the former receiving one edge of the cleat 41 and the recess61 cooperating with the recess 63 in said cleat to receive the full floating rack 64 that is in mesh with the said pinion 42, said rack being formed with a. notch 65 for engagement with the. arm 66 that is carried by the block 55 and extends through the marginal perforation 17 in the partition 16 into the large casing compartment and is provided with a finger 67 that extends downwardly over the center of the table 21. When the table is stationary upon its pivot the ball centers itself directly below the finger 67 and prevents a downward movement of the block 55 and arm 66; when the table is oscillating upon its pivot, however, the ball is not centered beneath the finger and the same may move downward toward the table.

In operation the toilet is flushed in the usual manner. The lever 5 is pulled down by the handle 68 thus causing the link 31 to raise the. lever 35 while its rack 40 rotates the pinion 42 and depressesthe floating rack 64 which normally supports the arm 66 and sliding block 57; this block will instantly drop, by gravity, until its reduced end 59 rests upon the base plate 14 of the housing, a spaced block 69 serving as a guide for said portion 59 and spacing the same from the guide lip 56. The block 57 starts its descent just before the toe 38 of the lever 35 engages with the beveled portion 53' of the head 51 of the dog 49 and before the said too can thrust the head 51 outwardly or beneath the shoulder 58 of the block said shoulder has passed below the top of the head. The dog is now disposed in a vertical position between the sliding block and the lever 35 and it ismoved upwardly by the toe of said lever 35 thus, through the medium of the pin 48 and block 47 raising the trip lever 44. This le ver will trip the pan 3 while the lever, 35 trips the pan 2.

In the event the table is stationary upon its pivot an upward movementof the lever 35 will retract the rack 64, as previously described, but the finger will ride down upon the ball 22 and rest there thus preventing the sliding block 57 from dropping by gravity. When the toe 38 of lever 35 moves into contact with the head 51 it will rock the dog 49 upon its support 48 and so move said head beneath the enlarged por tion of the block 57. The resistance of the lever 44 and its connections and pan 3 is greater than the resistance of the dog 49 against the outward thrust of toe 38 and the result is the. positioning of the dog and head just described. The dog and head are now locked, by the sliding-block 57, against upward movement with the lever 35. The toe 38 will now pass the head 51 completely and move with the lever 35 into the position shown, Fig. 7, thus tripping the pan 2 while the pan 3, due tothe stationary position of the lever 44 will not be tripped. This will prevent dumping the contents of the toilet out of the'bowl. The return of the lever 5 to normal p0sition, in the usual manner, will re-position the lever 35 and the spring will cause the dog to again assume normal position out of engagement with the slidingblook 57.

A sliding hand lever extends through a perforation in the top plate 13 into the housing and lies fiat against the sliding block 57 with its lower end normally against the spacer block 69. The lever 70 is formed with a recess 71 in its upper end and the base of said recess will ride up against the cover plate 13 and prevent withdrawal of the lever accidentally or otherwise. Another recess 72 in said lever is, in the normal position of the lever, disposed substantially in alignment with the reduced portion of the sliding block 57 so that said lever then will offer no resistance to the movement of th head 51 beneath the thickened portion of the sliding block. In the event the train is in the railroad yards and it is desired to clean the pans 2, 3 the lever 70 is manually raised until its recessed portion 72 passes entirely out of alignment with the reduced portion of the block 57. This lever will now efi'ectually prevent disposal of the head 51 beneath the thickened portion of the block 57 and a pull upon the lever 5 will cause the levers 35, t: to tilt both pans 2, 3. The lever 70 will yieldingly remain in raised position through friction with the associated parts of the device.

What is claimed is 1. In automatic controls for two-pan train toilets, a trip lever for one of said pans operable positively with the toilet flushing lever, a second trip lever for the remaining pan connected to said first named trip lever and yieldingly actuated thereby, and automatic control mechanism associated with said second trip lever whereby the functioning of said lever is made dependent upon the movement or lacir of movement of the train.

2. In automatic controls for multiple-pan train toilets, a trip lever for one of said pans operable positively with the toilet flushing lever, a second trip lever for another pan connected to said first named trip lever and conditionally actuated thereby, and automatic lever control mechanism, associated with said second trip lever, actuated by the movement of the train.

3. In automatic controls for multiple-pan train toilets, a trip lever for one of said pans operable positively with the toilet flushing lever, a second, trip lever for another pan connected to said first named trip lever and normally actuated thereby, and automatic control mechanism associated with said second trip lever and actuated by the movement of the train, said mechanism comprising gravity influenced elements.

I. In automatic controls for two-pan train toilets, a trip lever for one of said pans operable positively with the toilet flushing lever, a second trip lever for the second pan connected to said first named trip lever and actuated thereby, automatic control mechanism associated. with said second trip lever whereby its movement, relative to said first named lever, may be modified, said control mechanism being actuated by the movement or non-movement of the train, and a locking lever associated withsaid second trip lever.

5. In automatic controls for two-pan train toilets, a housing, a trip lever in said housing for one of said pans operative positively with the toilet flushing lever, a second'trip lever associated with said housing for the second pan operatively connected to said first named lever, and automatic control mechanism for said second lever, within said housing, actuated solely by the movement of the train.

6. In automatic controls for two-pan train toilets, a housing, a trip lever in said housing for one of said pans operatively connected to the toilet flushing lever, a toe at one end of said trip lever, a second trip lever connected to said first named lever and yield ingly actuated thereby, a sliding block arranged in said casing, a tilting table sup ported in said casing, connection between said sliding block and table whereby movement of said block is prevented in one position of said table, and a dog carried by said second trip lever for engagement with said sliding block when the same iselocked against. movement.

7. In automatic controls for two-pan train toilets, a housing comprising partitioned compartments, a trip lever in one compartment, a toe at one end of said trip lever, a second trip lever connected to said first named lever and disposed in the same compartment, a sliding block arranged in the same compartment, a pivotally supported table arranged in the second compartment, means connecting said table, in the stationary position of the same, and said sliding block whereby movement of the latter is prevented, and a dog carried by said second trip lever for engagement with said sliding block when the same is locked in stationary position.

8. In automatic controls for two-pan train toilets, a housing, a partition in said housing, a trip lever in said housing upon one side of said partition, a toe at one end of said trip lever, a second trip lever connected to said first named trip lever and yieldingly actuated thereby and disposed upon the same side of said partition, a rack carried by said first named trip lever, a pinion arranged in said housing in mesh with said rack, a gravity actuated sliding block arranged in said housing, a notched floating rack associated with said sliding block and in mesh with said pinion, a table pivotally supported upon the opposite side of said partition with respect to said levers, saidtabl'e being beveled toward its center, a ball disposed upon said table, an arm carried by said sliding block and extending across said partition, and terminating in the plane of the center of the table, and a dog carried by said second trip lever for engagement with said sliding block when said table is in stationary position.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto. aflixed my signature l 1n the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HARRY GUY ANDERSON.

l/Vitnesses H. J. SANDERS, L. V. THOMPSON; 

